Category: blog

The heart of the Be the Love Campaign is about making an impact on the community. There are opportunities to partner with us to become a part of something bigger than ourselves.

We are in search of volunteers in the Washington Metropolitan Area to give of their time to aid in projects that support our primary missions of homelessness, youth mentoring and childhood hunger.

We are also in need of donors to support these projects. We would like to kick off this year with an effort to feed hungry children in the area through Blessings in a Backpack. Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry.

For as little as $15 a month ($180 a year) you can sponsor a child for a year. Our goal is to sponsor 500 children at Stanton Elementary school and we need your help. Please donate and sponsor a child today!

Be The Love Campaign DC is pleased to partner with Children of Mine DC Youth Center in Anacostia in Washington, DC and sponsor an Angel Tree project to provide Christmas gifts for 48 at-risk kids, ages 4 to 18, and to help provide resources for the Center. The Center was founded by Hannah Hawkins more than 30 years ago when she began to take in neighborhood kids and read to them and provide meals, and pray for them. The Co-Director for the Center, Wanda Layne, says the kids need winter clothing, including coats, socks, shoes, hats, gloves, thermal underwear, pajamas, toiletries, and of course toys are welcome. The Center also has a food bank for kids and their families.

Please contact David Branch, the DC Be The Love Director, if you would like to sponsor a child for the Angel Tree project at davidbranch@dbranchlaw.com or 240.462.0361 . Gifts may be dropped off at the Capital City Church DC (Atlas Performing Arts Center) 1333 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002, on Sunday, December 3 and Sunday, December 10, 2017 from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Financial donations may be made directly to Children of Mine DC Youth Center online, or Bethelovecampaign.org.

Be The Love Campaign DC will host a special Christmas party for the Children of Mine DC Youth Center on December 14, 2017 from 3 pm to 6 pm at the Center at 2263 Mount View Place, SE, Washington, D.C. Sign up to volunteer at the Christmas Party by clicking here.

If you’ve been looking for an easy way to get connected and serve the community, look no further! Here is a list of current local outreach projects we have going on at Capital City Church Kingstowne. Whether you’re collecting non-perishable food items, serving meals at a homeless shelter, or delivering Easter baskets to kids that need a smile, it’s our mission to see the local community and those in it thrive.

Service Opportunity #1: Blessings in a Backpack (Groveton Elementary School)When: Food collection (Sundays, ongoing); Food packing (Sundays, bi-weekly)Where: Capital City Church KTTasks: Collect and pack food to be delivered to school children in Blessings in a Backpack program.Commitment Required: One hour/bi-weekly

FOCUS AREA: Women and Children in Crisis
TEAM LEADER: Holly Neyland, hollyneyland24@gmail.com
VISION: To guide, mentor, and help care for disenfranchised women and girls in the community.

No current opportunities but will be posting soon.

FOCUS AREA: Prison and Families of Incarcerated Ministry
TEAM LEADER: Holly Neyland, hollyneyland24@gmail.com
VISION: To provide ministry and support to inmates and children with incarcerated parents, meanwhile connecting them with God.

Over the next year, Be The Love wants to blanket the D.C. metropolitan area with love, and if you’re a federal employee or military member, you can help! The Combined Federal Campaign is a once a year program offered to all employees of the Federal Government that allows for pre-tax donations to the charity of your choice.

The funds provided through the CFC make up a large portion of Be The Love’s annual funding, so we need your help! Every dollar provided to Be The Love through the CFC helps us operate our multiple charity events in the D.C. Metro area each year. And, CFC funds also help Be The Love’s worldwide partners fight for worthwhile causes. Even donations as small as two dollars have helped organizations such as A21 combat the ongoing problem of human trafficking.

If you’re eligible and interested in providing a donation to Be The Love through the CFC, look for us in your CFC Pledge Book, or find us online here. Our CFC number is 31336!

This summer we have had the privilege of partnering with the McKenna Center to serve homeless individuals in our city! This day shelter is located off North Capitol, and although they are open every Monday-Friday, they are only able to operate on Saturdays through the help of volunteer groups. We will continue to work with the McKenna Center with upcoming service dates of 10/24, 11/28 and 12/12! Let’s show up ready to impact the DC community one life at a time as we serve these men and show them they are valued!

The shelter connects individuals with food, clothing, rehabilitation, medical attention, case managers, and other needed services. They also provide job search assistance, support in reuniting with family members, and mail reception. Their food pantry and clothing store are designed to help instill pride, responsibility, and value in their clients while working to meet their needs. By partnering with them, we are able to walk alongside men who are making positive changes to turn their lives around and support them in their efforts to achieve their goals!

21 Days of Prayer and Action

January 12 – February 1

It’s almost the start of 2015, and we’re all beginning to think about setting the course to make the most of the year ahead. For many of us this involves a STRUGGLE to keep our minds fixed and focused on good things, things that will propel us forward. It’s never been more true: THE STRUGGLE IS REAL. And that’s what our January sermon series at Capital City Church is all about!

If the struggle is real for you and me, though, it reminds us that the struggle is real for everyone around us. Our communities are filled with people struggling to find hope. So, on January 12th, we’re launching 21 Days of Prayer and Action! Throughout the 21 days, we will be focusing prayers on our communities and then backing it up with action, intentional acts of kindness to be the love to people around us. It’s going to be a powerful time!

In the coming days, this website (http://bethelove.church) will transform into a prayer and action center, with a daily prayer guide and ideas for action. Stay tuned right here… and invite some other people into the fun!

Can you think of a time when someone intentionally took action to bring hope to your life? Tell us about it!

Over the next year, Be The Love wants to blanket the D.C. metropolitan area with love, and if you’re a federal employee or military member, you can help! The Combined Federal Campaign is a once a year program offered to all employees of the Federal Government that allows for pre-tax donations to the charity of your choice.

The funds provided through the CFC make up a large portion of Be The Love’s annual funding, so we need your help! Every dollar provided to Be The Love through the CFC helps us operate our multiple charity events in the D.C. area each year. Events like the Turkey Bowl and Help Portrait just wouldn’t be the same without CFC funds. And, CFC funds also help Be The Love’s worldwide partners fight for worthwhile causes. Even donations as small as two dollars have helped organizations such as A21 combat the ongoing problem of human trafficking.

If you’re eligible and interested in providing a donation to Be The Love through the CFC, look for us in your CFC Pledge Book, or find us online here. Our CFC number is 31336!

This summer, Be The Love had a blast serving all over the DC Metro Area! We started our efforts at our School Beautification Day at Hayfield Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia. We had 88 volunteers gather together to help the school clean up its grounds, and also spent some time crafting cards and backpacks for homeless children in DC!

From there, we transitioned over to the DC General Shelter in Southeast to host a Back to School Superhero Party! We, along with Captain America, Thor, Batwoman, and Miss Howard University, had a great time partying with nearly 100 homeless parents and children in the Shelter, and got them pumped for a great school year ahead!

And this fall, our super service efforts continue throughout the DC Metro Area! We have plenty of great ways for you to get involved. If you’re looking for a regular opportunity, why not check out our Jesus is Here Life Group? This group of dedicated volunteers is looking to spread love all over DC every Saturday Morning. Check out their Facebook page for details!

But if that doesn’t work for you, how about checking out our Turkey Bowl? On November 8, 2014, we’re hosting a large flag football tournament for the children of the DC General Shelter. We’ll have food, drinks, and games going all day, and could use your help in any way you can bring it! Click here for more details.

Finally, if you’re interested in reaching your community in other ways, we want to hear from you! Be The Love is looking to significantly expand its efforts in 2015, and want to know how you think we should do so. If you have an idea for a new community outreach, or an already existing one we should partner with, let us know about it here!

This summer, Be The Love and Capital City Church are blanketing the DC Metro Area with love! Our summer campaign started with our service day at the DC General Shelter on July 26. There, we gave out clothes, shoes and accessories to families residing in the shelter. One by one, families got to walk through the Free Market picking out everything from onesies to sneakers to dresses. There were residents lined up as soon as we opened the doors. We heard comments like, “We never get anything new – so this is so great,” and “You all are so nice for doing this for us,” and “I was able to find my son some new sneakers for school.” Our favorite comment came from a woman who needed to find a pair of shoes for church. She told us “I know Jesus doesn’t mind what we come in, but I want to be cute.”

Would you like to share this fun with us over the next month? We’ve got three great ways to get involved!

1) On August 23, 2014, we’re hosting a Family Fun and Service Day at Hayfield Elementary School in Alexandria, Virginia! It will be a family friendly service opportunity day where we’ll stuff back to school back packs going to children at the DC General Homeless Shelter, craft cards welcoming teachers back to school, and perform maintenance on the school grounds. Then, we’ll wrap the morning up with free pizza and snow cones at 11:30am! More info here: http://bit.ly/1kbjgI2

2) On August 30, 2014, we’re moving our service into DC for a back to school Superhero party for the children at the DC Homeless Shelter! This will be a huge event where we hope to empower the young residents and send them on their way to a successful school year! More info here: http://bit.ly/1nSM9bT

3) Do our 21 day devotional with us! Each day we’ll provide you with a short verse and devotional to help you find out more about your own mission! Check the link for details! http://capcitychurch.onthecity.org/plaza?group_id=139957

This year, at Beautiful You Conference, we chose to honor military women who have demonstrated a Be The Love lifestyle in this world. The awards were presented to four amazing women who have served our country through the armed forces. However, it is important to emphasize that we honored not just women who have personally served in the military, but also the wives of those who have served in the military. It is our firm belief that the wives of our military members are the overlooked heroes of our country. They play an equally important, yet silent, role in serving our country, because it is their support at home that allows our service members to protect our freedom.

Our first award winner was Petty Officer second-class Mary-Suzette de la Cruz. Mary Suzette serves in the United States Navy, and is currently stationed as a logistics specialist, providing support to 114 military members stationed throughout the world. In addition to her Navy duties, Mary-Suzette spends dozens of hours each month serving the community all over the DC metro area. She spends every Monday serving homeless children at the Carpenter’s Shelter, and every Friday distributing care packages to the homeless population in DC. And, last fall, she helped organize a collection drive for victims of the Philippines typhoon last fall. Mary-Suzette is a shining example of what it means to be the love in this world.

Our second award winner was Beth Jorgensen, who is married to Colonel Eric Jorgensen, recently retired from the United States Air Force. Beth has been an amazing source of support not just to her husband, but also to other veterans and her fellow military spouses. She has served as a career counselor for veterans and military spouses, helping them meet their educational goals, find their career paths, and discover their strengths. In addition, Beth has repeatedly provided free housing to multiple members of National Community Church and the International Justice Mission, and provided continuous love and guidance to each tenant for as long as they stayed with her. In every sphere of her life, Beth has demonstrated God’s love to all whom she has encountered.

Our third award winner was Captain Daphne J., of the United States Air Force. Daphne has served since 2007 as a Judge Advocate General, representing our military and its members in its legal system. In this role, Daphne serves her country by providing legal assistance to the members of our armed forces and their families, which is often a tremendous encouragement for those in stressful legal situations. But despite the large amount of work her service requires, she still manages to balance being a new mom to baby Jett with leading the Capital City Church Connect Host Team with grace. She is consistently a joy to be around, and her positivity and warmth are an inspiration in Capital City Church. She is a wonderful mother, wife, friend, volunteer and public servant, and truly serves as a walking example of the love we should show to each other.

Our final award winner was Doris “DeeDee” Cutler, who is married to Sergeant First Class Tonce A. Cutler of the U.S. Army. DeeDee has spent a lifetime serving those in need all over DC. She has spent the last 18 years tutoring at risk children, and currently provides assistance to 300 children per year. Further, in 2004, DeeDee left her successful career as a DC Police Detective to become an advocate for victims of Domestic Violence, and has been working in this field ever since. On top of all this, for the last seven years, she has even managed to arrange Thanksgiving dinner for 50 low-income children. Finally, she has been an incredible source of support for her fellow military family members. When Sergeant Cutler last deployed to Afghanistan, she became the Family Readiness leader for his unit, and took care of the other members’ wives and children while their husbands were deployed. Her dedication and commitment to God and country are an inspiration to all around her.